Partition for rooms

ABSTRACT

Partition for rooms comprising a perimetral profile which can be rigidly secured by means of screws to the masonry work of the section inside which the partition is to be inserted and a base profile which can be fixed inside a seat of the perimetral profile. This base profile is symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal mid-plane and has at least two longitudinal channels arranged in mirror symmetry. Several accessory profiles are envisaged, said profiles being provided with feet which can be inserted into the longitudinal channels and can be fixed to the base profile by means of screws. The retaining portions of two profiles joined together define a central groove inside which a panel is fixed.

The present invention relates to a partition for rooms.

The invention in question falls within the sector of the interiorfurnishings industry and in particular the sector for the production ofpartitions for rooms of any kind in both office and home environments.

At present, as is known, on the market there exist numerous designs ofpartitions composed of panels which are made with different forms andmaterials, typically wood or glass, usually with an aluminium frame, andwhich may be connected mechanically to leaf doors or sliding doors, etc.

The design of these panels is such as to require the installation ofsupport frames which, on the one hand, must ensure the functionalfeatures and safe supporting of the panels and the doors and, on theother hand, must satisfy increasingly demanding architecturalrequirements.

The partitions known hitherto and present on the market are excessivelylimited in terms of their applicational possibilities by the technicalconstraints which in fact do not allow versatile use of the doors andthe windows which form them.

This situation represents a limitation for the architectural design ofinteriors; there exist on the market partitions which have proved inpractice difficult to install, requiring specialized personnel andinstallation times which are so long that they negatively affect theoverall cost of the partitions.

The problem forming the basis of the present invention is therefore toovercome the drawbacks encountered in the solutions of the known typementioned above by providing a partition for rooms which allows areduction in the time required for installation thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a partitionwhich is constructionally inexpensive to produce, simple to install andoperationally entirely reliable.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a partitionwhich allows a high degree of versatility as regards the architecturaldesign of interiors.

The technical features of the invention, in accordance with theabovementioned objects, may be determined from the contents of theclaims indicated below and the advantages thereof will emerge moreclearly from the detailed description which follows, provided withreference to the accompanying drawings, which show some purely exemplaryand non-limiting embodiments thereof in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a detail of the partitionaccording to the present invention, relating to a perimetral profile;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the perimetral profile during fixingto the wall;

FIG. 3 shows a frame obtained by fixing to the wall the perimetralprofile along the prechosen dividing section;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a detail of the partition accordingto the present invention, relating to a connecting joint duringassembly;

FIG. 5 shows the connecting joint according to FIG. 4 in the assembledcondition;

FIG. 6 illustrates connection of the connecting joint according to FIG.5 to the perimetral profile according to FIG. 1;

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show three perspective views of a detail of thepartition according to the present invention, relating to a baseprofile;

FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the base profile according toFIGS. 7-9 inserted at varying depths inside the perimetral profile ofthe floor and the ceiling;

FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view during connection of a firstaccessory profile to the base profile in order to form the partitionaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view during positioning of a glass panelon the first accessory profile according to FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the panel according to FIG. 12supported by the base profile;

FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view during connection of a secondaccessory profile to the base profile in order to retain the glass paneland form the partition according to the present invention;

FIG. 15 shows three horizontal cross-sectional views of three differentpartitions according to the present invention composed of differentexamples of accessory profiles;

FIGS. 16 to 20 relate to five different walls formed with differentaccessory profiles;

FIG. 21 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view of a different partitionaccording to the present invention composed of a further differentexample of an accessory profile;

FIGS. 21 a and 21 b show two enlarged details of FIG. 21;

FIG. 22 shows a detail of a partition according to the presentinvention, relating to the connection of the bottom wheels of a panel toan accessory profile;

FIGS. 22 and 23 show a detail of a partition according to the presentinvention, relating to the connection of an upper wheel of a panel to anaccessory profile, in an assembly position and in a final operatingposition;

FIG. 25 shows an exploded detail of an upper wheel of a panel;

FIGS. 26 to 28 shows the stages of assembly of panels in order to form aclosed wall above a frame formed with accessory profiles;

FIGS. 29 to 32 shows the stages of assembly of a hinge for supporting aleaf door in a partition according to the present invention;

FIG. 33 shows a vertically sectioned view of a leaf door which isinvolved in formation of a partition according to the present invention.

In accordance with the figures of the accompanying drawings, PA denotesoverall a partition according to the present invention.

The partition PA may be used equally well to separate spaces in livingareas or in order to conceal a cupboard, a bookcase or the like, as willbecome clear from the examples shown in the accompanying figures andreferred to in the description which follows.

The partition PA comprises a metal perimetral profile 1, in particularmade of aluminium, which can be rigidly secured, via fixing means 2,along the perimeter of the section inside which the partition PA is tobe inserted.

This perimetral profile 1 follows the progression of the walls, theceiling and the floor, together with any unevenness which they have,forming a frame CO. Said profile advantageously has a form with aC-shaped cross-section and defines a first seat 5 by means of a bottom 3and two side edges 4.

The fixing means 2 are preferably composed of screws V which areinserted into through-holes provided at fixed intervals along the bottom3 of the perimetral profile 1.

The holes in the perimetral profile 1 face the holes formed in themasonry wall and in the floor along the section of the room inside whichthe partition PA is to be inserted.

A shaped base profile 6, provided with sides 7 which are arrangedadjacent to the side edges 4, is inserted inside the first seat 5 of theperimetral profile 1.

This base profile 6 has a longitudinal extension which is symmetricalwith respect to a longitudinal mid-plane and is arranged continuouslywith connecting joints 8 mounted in each corner of the perimetralprofile 18 and formed with two parts 8′ which are rigidly connectedtogether at an angle by means of brackets 9 having their sides at 90°and able to be inserted inside second central seats 19 providedlongitudinally on the base profile 6.

Preferably, the connecting joints 8 may be prepared at the factory andthen brought already assembled to the location for installation of thepartition PA.

The angle brackets 9 are fixed by means of first grub screws 12 in thebase profile 6 and are followed inside the seats by straight brackets 11able to connect rigidly the base profile 6 to the connecting joints 8 bymeans of second grub screws 12′.

The base profiles 6 are cut to size and remain rigidly connected to theangle pieces 8 by means of the straight brackets 11. Second fixing meansmay also be envisaged for fixing the base profile to the perimetralprofile 1 or to the masonry walls.

It is possible to vary, by means of adjusting means, the amount by whichthe base profile 6 projects from the perimetral profile 1 fixed to theperimetral wall, in order to overcome problems of lack of evenness ofthe walls.

These adjusting means are for example composed of third grub screws 13which can be inserted inside through-holes formed at fixed distancesalong the base profile 6. The inner end of the grub screws 13 bearsagainst the perimetral profile 1 and allows variation in the penetrationof the base profile 6 inside the first seat 5 as indicated in FIG. 10,where it can be clearly seen that the base profile on the ceilingprojects much more from the perimetral profile than the base profile onthe floor. The travel range of each base profile 6 due to the adjustmentof the grub screws 13 is in the region of 8 mm.

Once the base profile 6 has been arranged on the perimetral profile 1 soas to form a frame which is perfectly level, the accessory profiles andthe other components are fitted, these being designed to allowpersonalisation of the architecture of the partition in accordance withfunctional and aesthetic requirements.

A first retaining accessory profile A is designed to support centrallypartitions made of wood, glass or other material and denoted overall bythe number 30 in the accompanying drawings. This central panel 30 isarranged centrally with respect to the base profile 6 and has preferablya thickness of about 1 cm.

This first profile A, which is preferably made of aluminium obtained bymeans of extrusion, is suitably shaped and has a foot 16 intended to beinserted inside a first longitudinal channel 17 at least partly shapedso as to match the foot and provided in the vicinity of the two sides 7of the base profile 6.

From this foot 16 there extends perpendicularly at an angle a flatcovering portion 18 from which there projects a substantially verticalretaining portion 19 which has a contact head 20 for resting against andperipherally retaining the central panel 30. The head 20 has alongitudinal recess 21 with, inserted, a seal 22 for perfect adherenceof the central panel 30.

The base of the retaining portion 19 forming a continuation of thecovering portion 18 is provided with a fixing portion 31 havingthrough-holes at predetermined distances able to receive self-tappingscrews 23 which engage inside fourth seats 24 formed in the base profile6.

Each panel 30 made of glass or other material rests on said fixingportion 31 and is retained and situated in between the first accessoryprofile A, of the type described above, and a second accessory profileB, which is similar to the first profile, but without the fixing portion31.

This second accessory profile B is inserted with the respective foot 16′inside the respective second longitudinal channel 17′ parallel to thefirst one 17, by causing the foot to perform a slight rotation as shownin FIG. 14.

This profile B is fixed to the base profile 6 by means of self-tappingscrews 23′ which can be inserted inside through-holes arranged atpredetermined distances in the flat covering portion 18′ and engaging infourth seats 24′ formed in the base profile 6. Differently from thescrews 23, the screws 23′ remain visible, as can be seen in FIG. 13.

Preferably, a support strip 25 able to receive the bottom edge of thepanel 30 and preferably consisting of plastic is provided on top of thefixing profile 31.

So as to support the panel P while it is arranged to rest only on thefirst accessory profile A, advantageously removable panel-stop retainingparts 26 are provided, these being removed when the second accessoryprofile B is inserted or preferably they remain seated between the twoprofiles A and B, as shown in the accompanying figures.

The first and the second profiles A, B described above are furthermoreprovided at the joining corner of the foot 16, 16′ and the coveringportion 18, 18′ with a rail 40, 40′, which preferably projectsvertically and has a rounded form and is able to receive and guidewheels 41 which are provided with an annular channel shaped so as tomatch the profile of the rail and are rotatably mounted on a slidingpanel 300 arranged parallel to the panel 30.

Advantageously, the central panel 30 will be made of glass ortransparent material, while the sliding panel will be made of opaquematerial such as wood, although they may also be made of any materialwithout thereby departing from the scope of protection of the presentpatent.

Advantageously the first and second profiles A, B may also be providedwithout the presence of this rail 40, 40′ and will therefore bedistinguished by a covering portion 18″ which is completely flat, asshown in FIGS. 15, 16, 17 and 19 where these new profiles are indicatedby the symbols C and D.

The profiles A, B, C and D therefore have the function of keeping thepanels 30 in a central position with respect to the width of the framewith the base inserted sealingly inside a longitudinal groove betweenthe retaining portions 19.

FIGS. 18 and 20 shows the cross-sections of two further accessoryprofiles, i.e. a third accessory profile E and a fourth accessoryprofile F, which are without the portions for retaining the panels 30and are provided with a covering portion 18′″ which extends with the twofeet between the two channels 17, 17′ in the base profile 6.

In greater detail, the third accessory E is provided with a single rail40′″, while the fourth accessory is provided with two rails 40′″arranged raised from the corners like the ones above.

Each panel 300 is constrained both at the top and at the bottom by meansof wheels 41 to the rails 40, 40′, 40′″.

The accompanying figures show different combinations of the accessoryprofiles A, B, C, D, E, F mentioned above in order to create passages,sliding doors or continuous panels in accordance with the possibility ofversatile use according to the present invention. The panels or slidingdoors 300 may be mounted on the two parallel rails of a same frame andare advantageously free to slide along the entire length of the railsremaining parallel to any central glass panel, covering it entirely orpartly depending on the position assumed along the rail.

A further fifth accessory G, illustrated in FIG. 21 a, is alsoenvisaged, said accessory being provided with a covering portion 18″″which extends with the two feet between the two channels 17, 17′ andwhich is without both retaining portions 19 and rails 40.

Said accessory in particular is arranged in the vertical and lateraluprights of the walls when the base envisages correspondingly thepresence of sliding panels, passages or leaf doors, or generally in allthose cases where it is not envisaged starting from the upright with acentral panel 30.

Considering in detail the sliding system, it can be seen from FIG. 24that the bottom side of the sliding panel has, formed therein, a secondseat 50 inside which a first carriage 51 provided with two wheels 41 canbe inserted. The first carriage 51 advantageously consists of a simpleoverturned L-shaped (or U-shaped) profile with the horizontal sideresting on the bottom of the second seat and being fixed thereto bymeans of screws and with the vertical side (or sides) with the wheels 41pivotably mounted thereon (or defining a fork member for supporting thepins for rotation of the wheels 41).

The top side of the panel 300, as can be seen in FIG. 25, is providedwith a third seat 52 for receiving, inserted therein, a second carriage53 comprising a single or double fork member able to support rotatably awheel 41 and connected by means of a bracket 54 to a ratchet-typelevelling device 55 which is provided with a part fixed to the frame ofthe panel and a part with an adjustable height connected by means of thebracket to the fork member of the wheel so as to vary the verticalposition thereof following operation of a screw/female thread mechanismoperated by rotation of a visible nut which is accessible laterally withrespect to the mouth of the seat 52.

In this way, by adjusting the nut with a spanner, it is possible toposition the wheel 41 so that its annular channel engages with the rail40. Advantageously the fork member is connected to the bracket by meansof resiliently yielding means so as to adjust the pressure of the wheel41 on the rail 40, ensuring that it adheres thereto.

The sliding panel or door 300 may be advantageously made of wood, asindicated in FIG. 24 or formed by an aluminium frame supporting a glasspanel as indicated in FIG. 25.

The base profile 6 is moreover suitable for the installation of leafdoors 3000 also.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention shownin FIGS. 29 to 33, the accessory profiles C and D are provided so as tohave, fixed thereon, support bodies 60 formed by two facing plates 61,62, a first one 61 of which has a flat form and is inserted between theretaining portions 19″ of the profiles and the second one 62 of whichhas a T-shape arranged to rest on the first plate and fixed to thelatter by means of screws.

This support body has fixed on top, by means of screws, a shaped plate63 carrying the pin 64 by means of an arm 65 projecting from the frame,so as to form the hinge for rotation of the leaf door 3000.

Advantageously the pin 64 of the hinge carries coaxially a washer andhas a bush arranged on top.

It is then envisaged providing (see FIGS. 26 to 28) a further accessoryprofile H which can be fixed by means of screws to the retaining portion19″ of one of the two accessory profiles C or D and provided with a toppart covering the gap between the retaining portions of the two profilesC and D and with a side part having a seal 66 for contact against theleaf door 3000.

On the same accessory profiles A and B or C and D it is possible toarrange uprights 80 having at their ends chasing 81 for receiving thecorresponding retaining portions and forming double-panel closed walls.

The uprights 80 are joined rigidly together by means of a frameworkformed by horizontal crosspieces 81 which are fixed between the uprights80 also by means of simple insertion of their ends into shaped openings82 formed at predetermined heights along the uprights 80.

The latter are provided with engaging pins 83 able to engage with clips84 provided on closing panels 85 so as to allow rapid frontal fixing bymeans of simple pressure.

In this way it is possible to provide a fixed partition rapidly and in avery easy and practical manner.

As a result of the present invention it is possible to divide off intoseveral areas the space within a room, allowing the areas thus dividedup to be used for the most widely varying purposes, for example in orderto separate a living area from another living area or conceal a bookcaseor also a cupboard behind a sliding door.

The invention thus conceived therefore achieves the predeterminedobjects.

Obviously it may also assume, in its practical embodiment, also formsand configurations which are different from that illustrated above,without thereby departing from the present scope of protection.Moreover, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalentparts and the forms, the dimensions and the materials used may be of anynature in accordance with requirements.

1-15. (canceled)
 16. Partition for rooms, comprising: a perimetralprofile, defining a seat, which can be rigidly secured via fixing meansto masonry work of a section inside which the partition is to beinserted; a base profile which can be fixed inside said seat, issymmetrical with respect to a longitudinal mid-plane and has at leasttwo longitudinal channels arranged in mirror symmetry with respect tosaid longitudinal mid-plane; and at least one accessory profile providedwith a foot which can be inserted in at least one of said longitudinalchannels and can be fixed to said base profile via second fixing means.17. Partition according to claim 16, further comprising adjusting meansfor varying the amount by which the base profile projects from theperimetral profile.
 18. Partition according to claim 16, furthercomprising two accessory profiles defining by means of their retainingportions a central groove inside which a panel is fixed.
 19. Partitionaccording to claim 16, further comprising a first shaped accessoryprofile having: a foot which can be inserted inside a said longitudinalchannel; a flat covering portion; and a retaining portion which projectssubstantially vertically from said covering portion with a contact headfor resting against and peripherally retaining said panel.
 20. Partitionaccording to claim 19, wherein said first accessory profile is providedwith a fixing portion extending from the base of the retaining portionand forming a continuation of the covering portion.
 21. Partitionaccording to claim 16, further comprising a second accessory profilewhich is similar to the first one but is without said fixing portion.22. Partition according to claim 16, wherein said accessory profile isprovided with a rail which preferably projects vertically and has arounded form and is able to receive and guide wheels rotatably mountedon a sliding panel.
 23. Partition according to claim 19 wherein saidaccessory profile is provided with a rail which preferably projectsvertically and has a rounded form and is able to receive and guidewheels rotatably mounted on a sliding panel and said rail is providedabove said covering portion at the joining corner of the foot and thecovering portion.
 24. Partition according to claim 16, furthercomprising a third accessory profile provided with a covering portionwhich extends with two feet between the two channels of the baseprofile.
 25. Partition according to claim 24, wherein said thirdaccessory, profile is provided with at least one rail which preferablyprojects vertically and has a rounded form and which is able to receiveand guide wheels rotatably mounted on a sliding panel.
 26. Partitionaccording to claim 25, further comprising a second seat formed along thebottom side of said sliding panel and able to receive, inserted thereina first carriage with at least one wheel.
 27. Partition according toclaim 26, further comprising a third seat provided along the top side ofsaid sliding panel and able to receive, inserted therein, a secondcarriage connected by means of a ratchet-type leveling device to saidpanel.
 28. Partition according to claim 18, further comprising a supportbody for a shaped plate carrying a pin of a hinge for rotation of a leafdoor is mounted in said central groove.
 29. Partition according to claim28, further comprising a further accessory profile which can be fixed tothe retaining portion of one of said accessory profiles and providedwith a top part covering the groove between the retaining portions ofthe two profiles and a side part with a seal for contact against theleaf door.
 30. Partition according to claim 18, further comprisinguprights provided at the ends with chasing for receiving theabovementioned retaining portions and engaging pins able to engage withclips provided on closing panels for forming closed walls.